Seeking new books to add to our library collection can be quite an adventure.
Not long ago, as I sat in a presentation at the Art Libraries Society of North America conference, I was awestruck by the work of Colette Fu. This brilliant paper engineer combines visually stunning images with profound stories of her heritage to create pop-up books that are mesmerizing works of art.
Collette Fu. Ryerson and Burnham Libraries
I opened my laptop and started searching for available pieces by Fu during the presentation and was thrilled to see that there were still copies of Kaifuna available. I contacted the artist and secured a copy for our collection.
Kaifuna depicts a Dulong woman of the Northwest Yunnan Province along the borders of Tibet and Myanmar. It had been the tradition for Dulong girls to get facial tattoos at puberty, and each clan had its own set of designs. Dulong people believe that the souls of their dead turned into butterflies and it is thought that the women’s tattoos resemble butterflies. The practice of facial tattooing has died out over the years, and only 38 tattooed Dulong women still exist.
This book celebrates a little-known tradition at the last point in time before its traces disappear. When it arrived, the library staff gathered to unbox our precious new acquisition, excited to examine this new addition and share it with each other and museum staff.
Though our staff of professional librarians scan booksellers, auctions, and catalogs to discover items to delight and inspire our researchers, we sometimes find these items in our own collection, which is vast—over 680,000 physical items. We have periodic meetings to share discoveries with each other. At one such meeting, our newest librarian wowed us all with La Belle au Bois dormant by Warja Lavater, a female Swiss book artist. This charming accordion book tells the story of Sleeping Beauty through a set of graphic symbols.
Warja Lavater. Ryerson and Burnham Libraries
We were all so taken with the craftsmanship and the stunning colors that we decided to contact some rare book dealers to see if we could get the rest of the Lavater’s fairy tale series. Happily we were able to find all but one so far, and we are hot on the trail of the last one!
Finding special artists’ books is not only a thrill, it’s vital to building our library collection to provide our researchers with unique, inspiring resources. Collection development is fundamental to making sure our library collection continues to reflect all periods and localities of art history not just for the past, but for the present and the future. Preserving these lovely examples of book arts will ensure their access for centuries to come.
—Violet Jaffe, director of Ryerson and Burnham Libraries, Research Center
Learn More
See our catalog entries for Kaifuna and La Belle au Bois dormant.
If you’d like to visit the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries, we are open to public appointments Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, 1:30–5:00. You can request items from our catalog to be ready for your visit. Make an appointment, and let our friendly reference librarians guide you through your research.
Explore more works by Colette Fu.
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